Ronaldo's RIGHT... he really is the Champions League away-day master
Posted Thursday, February 18, 2016 by Goal.com
The Portuguese scored an important goal on the road to hit back at his critics and help Real Madrid to a vital victory at Roma as he continued his remarkable record in Europe
Cristiano Ronaldo proved a point. The Portuguese forward had walked out of the pre-match press conference on Tuesday following a question about his difficulty in scoring away from home this season. But he responded emphatically on the pitch with a great goal to help Real Madrid beat Roma on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old has faced criticism this season for failing to score against big teams, but did net twice against Athletic Bilbao in a 4-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday and was on target again here, racing down the wing before cutting neatly inside and hitting a fierce drive into the top corner.
The shot was deflected, but the goal was nevertheless impressive and just what he needed after he left the Rome press room irritated on Tuesday when asked about his struggles on the road in 2015-16.
"Name a player that has scored more goals away from home than me since I have been in Spain," Cristiano barked. "You can't because there aren't any."
That statement was correct: before Tuesday night's games, Ronaldo had netted 152 goals in 162 away matches since moving to Madrid from Manchester United. Lionel Messi, by comparison, had scored 137 in 170 for Barcelona in that same time frame.
And even though the Portuguese has found it more difficult this term, there are signs that could change under Zinedine Zidane. Ronaldo appears much happier than he was with Rafa Benitez at the helm and he hugged the Frenchman after running to the sidelines to celebrate his goal - something that never occurred with the Spaniard in charge.
Ronaldo's record away from home in the Champions League also speaks for itself: he has scored in 17 of his last 21 away games in the continental competition and has more goals on the road (44) in the tournament than anyone else (Messi is the next best with 35).
On top of that, he has now netted in 60 Champions League fixtures, which is another record, and he remains the highest scorer in the competition with 89 goals in total.
"I am happy with Cristiano's contribution," Zidane said after the match. "But I'm happy with all of the players. The most important thing is the group and even though one player stood out above all, Cristiano, all of the players are important."
Zidane was making his Champions League debut as coach and after two poor performances in his previous away matches (at Betis and Granada in La Liga), this was much more encouraging.
Barcelona's 3-1 win at Sporting Gijon earlier on Wednesday means Madrid are seven points adrift of their fierce rivals in La Liga now and even though Zidane said after the Roma game that his team would continue to fight for both the domestic and European titles, the Champions League now looks the more likely route to glory for Real this term.
That will be anything but easy of course with Barca and Bayern Munich both in fine form and Atletico always a threat, but a place in the last eight looks all but guaranteed after the 2-0 win in Rome and that can act as a stepping stone for the 10-time European champions.
On Wednesday's evidence, Zidane already appears to have restored the team spirit seen when Madrid won La Decima in 2013-14 and with the competition's greatest goalscorer back in the groove when it matters most, Real are now starting to look like the force they never really appeared capable of being under Benitez.
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